MSAUD Columbia Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation

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AGRI-SHED – Group 2

More than 60% of the farmers in the Hudson Valley operate small and mid-sized farms. The current food distribution system forces them to compete with a market that is either too big or too small. The larger farms serve Hunts Point’s global market, while the smaller farms sell directly on site or to local farmer’s markets. Making it difficult to compete within the existing commercial network. The cities of the Hudson Valley region should have access to affordable locally-grown produce and value-added food products, without contributing to Hunts Point carbon footprint or the over-priced farmer’s markets.
Agri-Shed is a vehicle to connect Hudson Valley farmers, consumers, and food entrepreneurs within a regional agricultural system to stimulate new development and opportunities. To accomplish this, small and mid-sized farmers can form a farmers’ cooperative to aggregate and process Hudson Valleybranded produce and distribute it within their own cities and towns using renewable energy vehicles with a 100-mile reach. The cooperative’s distribution center in Newburgh will produce industrial, managerial and retail jobs and support a new urban Mercado.
The Mercado will build a stronger relationship between the farmers and the consumers of the regional cities, responding to growing demands for locally-grown food and its derivatives; this unique space will also provide kitchen incubator spaces, produce retail space, and business training for upcoming entrepreneurs in the Hudson Valley. It will also anchor Broadway’s promenade, a new open and public space to revitalize and connect business along the street as well as welcoming its visitors.